Page 33 - November 2019 proof 7 Castle Pines Connection

CastlePinesConnection.com
33
A week of kindness in Rachel’s Hands
By Julie Matuszewski; photos courtesy of American Academy Kindness week is an annual tradition
celebrated by students and sta at all three American Academy (AA) campuses. This
year’s tradition was inspired by Rachel’s Challenge, a movement that challenges schools to create an environment that promotes kindness and tolerance. AA took the challenge and created hands of kindness at each of the schools.
Rachel’s Challenge was formed after the tragic Columbine shooting where Rachel Scott was the rst person killed. Despite this tragedy, her legacy and impact lives on.
“Making schools safer, more connected places where bullying and violence are replaced with kindness and respect; and where learning and teaching are awakened to their fullest,” is the vision that is outlined on the foundation’s website.
AA is committed to comprehensive
focus on social-emotional wellness, with
a large team of student support service professionals supporting all students. Participating in a project based on Rachel’s hands compliments AA long-time manners and character programs. AA school social worker Ginny Rattner took the lead on
this project and shared that, as a social worker, she has always been inspired by Rachel Scott’s story. Rattner has followed her story and understood her message and mission found in her journal, as well as, the signi cance of her handprint.
These handprints were the premise of
the project during Kindness Week. All three campuses brought this idea to life
in their own special way. Several grades were shown a video explaining Rachel’s hands and told her story, while other students brought their paper cut-out hands home and completed them with family members. Rattner, with other mental health professionals, shared Rachel’s famous paper, My Codes, My Ethics with middle school classrooms. In this paper, Rachel talked about starting a chain reaction of kindness and the concept that it only takes one person to make a di erence.
Rachel made a di erence with students
and sta at all three AA campuses. Each student and sta member started with the same outline of a paper hand cut-out, but created a masterpiece that was uniquely their own. Some drew pictures that represented who they are and others shared personal character traits. Teachers and sta showed extra creativity as they produced hands made from 3D printers, wood, sewn material, and combined with many other creative layers.
Separately the hands represent each student and sta as individuals, but together as a whole, they represent something greater. The hands are a reminder that AA created
a community, a team and their own chain
Representing quilting squares, Mrs. Martin’s class hands came together and left behind the following message for us all - “Every act of kindness weaves together, and like a patchwork quilt brings comfort, warmth and beauty to those it touches.”
reaction of kindness, one that will pass down to future generations.
Rattner added, “This was an American Academy team success and the beginning of an everlasting chain reaction of kindness.”
To learn more about Rachel’s Challenge visit, www.RachelsChallenge.org.
Colorful hands marked with heartfelt thoughts, wishes and words as be kind, be nice, be cool, respect and love, came together as one hand which carry on Rachel’s vision for kindness.